Re: Mind's Eye Re: Science and the modern economic plight

I thought there was some mischief on the settlement of borders- maybe
by the leaders of Pakistan. And Gandhi was dead succeeded by Nehru.
Anyway I am getting beyond myself here...:-)

I am talking about any wealth. Wealth is also relative- it won't do
much re health, happiness, contentment in the long run and attracts
all sorts of problems, etc. One could ask how the wealth of the USA
has dribbled us into debt, for instance. We aren't the first to waste
our treasure- it's a constant theme in history- plus coming up
against the antagonists of undoing.

So- today I cooked: moussaka, a French apple tart and tonight made
garlic shrimp and pasta. 5 servings of moussaka are sleeping in the
freezer for the future. I lost my appetite when my youngest son went
off into the world- I really missed cooking dinner for the children.
Anyway, I'm cured. :-)

In agreement with you about weapons- a terrible business- the largest
manufacturers are the five permanent members of the UN Security
Council. But- sanctions and blockades are also a form of warfare-
maybe an act of war in reality- and it hurts the populations the most
as the rich and clever can escape to their seaside villas abroad, etc.
Like the middle class Iraqi's left and cannot find work elsewhere
easliy. Plus the left-behinds remember the sources- their leaders plus
the agitators of the moment so it is a no-win. Blather about liberty
will not buy groceries or a stable currency.

On Feb 10, 12:53 pm, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Don't go blaming the borders of Pakistan and India on Gandhi. that honor
> belongs solely on the shoulders of a Brit,,   I see nothing wrong with home
> weaving  It helps the poor earn a living..   I have lost a lot of money
> mainly to import problems.. so I could not receive my merchandise.. these
> items I ordered were hand made in homes..  which people made about $1 US a
> day making,,  filling my orders,,  yes I paid in advance so I was able to
> make sure they could feed their families..   because the product could not
> make it through customs.  I am foolish I ate the financial loss. better me
> than the poor.
>
> indecently on simple interest of which is offered today.. I would be making
> some where between four and five times that I receive in retirement.. would
> you care to show where your money came from??  and how you worked hard to
> make it???  and how you have to work hard to retain it?
>
> Yes a large contribution of the western and eastern countries to the world
> is weapons so they can make even more money from them  and increase
> poverty,,  a great statement for advanced society isn't it..
> Allan
>
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 4:11 PM, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > It takes hard work to be/stay wealthy.
> > Define pleasure- individual or cultural.
> > Education builds character supposedly.
> > Define business versus huckterism.
> > Science is indifferent- can be good or evil.
> > What religion?
> > Politics has become a wasteful, dishonest game.
>
> > Gandhi reintroduced home weaving, plus non-payment of taxes, general
> > strikes, non-violent demonstrations (satyagraha) and there was some
> > improvement- maybe strengthened by Indian participation in WWII for
> > the Brits...but was killed by a Hindu so the nation was not unified-
> > plus think of the slaughter in the partition- India and Pakistan-
> > which still is a thorny problem. The entire Middle East and North
> > Africa are a mess and very dangerous. The Green Zone may not last in
> > Iraq, for instance. Really- very stupid American policy since the Gulf
> > War or back to the 1840's for the Brits in Afghanistan (a total
> > wasteland). Good reads are The Blue Nile and The White Nile by Alan
> > Moorehead- or Something of Value by Robert Ruark (?). Anyway, I don
> > think the internet is going to solve humanity's problems- there is too
> > much smoldering resentment. What's our contribution? Weapon systems or
> > idiotic merchandise? Plus the displaced will flee to Europe and cause
> > more economic pressure, etc. I wonder if our goal is to destabilize
> > Russia and China?
>
> > I am cooking Greek today- moussaka. A humble tribute.
>
> > On Feb 8, 12:42 pm, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Ghandis 7 Dangers to Human Virtue
>
> > > 1: Wealth  without Work
> > > 2: Pleasure without Conscience
> > > 3: Knowledge without Character
> > > 4:Business without Ethics
> > > 5:Science without Humanity
> > > 6: Religion without Sacrifice
> > > 7: Politics without Principal
>
> > > Allan
>
> > > On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 6:30 PM, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > What intrigued me when I took science seriously was the way I had to
> > > > learn what others were finding, and that. at least after school and
> > > > university, I could check on what was going on and marvel in the
> > > > complexity and shared language.  It was hard work I can't sustain
> > > > now.  Some take science as a clerical  method and sometimes, as Vam
> > > > points out, this is true.  I take the method as one of
> > > > demystification, something of an anarchist view.  The rest of our
> > > > lives are shrouded in mystification.  The current England football
> > > > manager has 'earned' over £24 million in the last few years and most
> > > > of us seem to think this is OK (and all the bwanking rest), apparently
> > > > with no clue on of how this is paid for and who really does the
> > > > paying.  The heir apparent is Harry Rednap, who admitted whilst on
> > > > trial for tax evasion not done through an offshore bank, that he can't
> > > > read, write or use a computer.
> > > > Human beings have been 'happy' with all kinds of madness, from the
> > > > divine rights of kings to lives dedicated to stone carvings that
> > > > required the destruction of their ecosystems (Easter Island).  Most in
> > > > the West are so stupid they imagine a world of dynamic individualistic
> > > > capitalism when, in fact we are now dominated by State enterprise (see
> > > > the Economist at
> > > >http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/sponsorships/MM150/201.
> > ..
> > > > ).  The majority of our populations can't do science (school exams are
> > > > facile yet most still can't do them and choose not to).
>
> > > > This problem of a largely ineducable population is crucial in our
> > > > democracies.  I don't see any solution in 'philosopher kings' or
> > > > 'Guardians'.  The essence of the problem is that argument is no good
> > > > because most can't hack it.  It entails personal admission of
> > > > inferiority that individualism can't allow because it can't give up on
> > > > identity or realise this identity is formed as a world-view.  The
> > > > lacking ingredient is imagination - to think of throwing oneself off a
> > > > cliff and see the flight of a cannonball as a straight line - yet also
> > > > the presence of imagination that allows all kinds of brutal facts
> > > > about the world to be ignored or rationalised.  In this trance we can
> > > > see a disabled family on welfare as a drain on the public purse but
> > > > not the soccer manager or bwankster costing us much more (because
> > > > somehow hard work justifies the welfare of the rich - even though for
> > > > the worker it may just lead to a broken back).
>
> > > > In science I can speculate on whether space structures appearances and
> > > > on transfer of our information to planets nearby in information speed
> > > > terms (think of the play 'Andromeda')  - in politics it appears to be
> > > > as fantastic to wonder of a society free from the grasping rich, or to
> > > > see this condition as a failure to understand our biology and the long
> > > > history of debt peonage.
>
> > > > On Feb 7, 12:17 pm, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > E = mc2 is the most important upshot of relativity.  Write a 5,000
> > > > > word essay.  Well, don't worry too much, someone did one earlier -
> > > >http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/equivME/
>
> > > > > This is only one example, outside my sphere of expertise, I can think
> > > > > of concerning just how difficult thinking, experiment and proof can
> > > > > be.  How different it all is from moroneconomics that makes
> > > > > assumptions of standardised human behaviour and outcomes that bless
> > > > > the rich.  I wonder what physics would be like if it allowed such
> > > > > prejudiced thinking?
>
> > > > > When I walk Max I'm rather proud of him - he does his business in our
> > > > > backyard and is an all round nice guy.  I can't but notice our
> > > > > neighbours have let their dogs foul and that local kids foul with
> > > > > litter.  We need quite draconian measures to stop the worst in our
> > > > > society levelling everything down to the midden and jungle.  It seems
> > > > > reasonable not to expect the best as standard human behaviour.   When
> > > > > I look at the stealing going on under the name of economics, politics
> > > > > or whatever I get the same feeling.
>
> > > > > As a scientist, I realised most people know very little of the
> > > > > reasoning and skills involved.  One tries to be charitable and assume
> > > > > this is because they don't get the chance, but to be honest I've felt
> > > > > for a long time this is more to do with dullardry, ineptitude and
> > > > > laziness.  I don't believe the natural human condition is one of hard
> > > > > work and animals are not much of a model for this.  The 'busy bee'
> > > > > usually isn't and spends more time incumbent.
>
> > > > > When one looks at such as the consideration of mass and energy in
> > > > > physics, one should wonder on such matters as 'work' in human
> > > > > interaction, and how that may 'break down'.  We don't and still  live
> > > > > in the Dark Ages.  If I ask for a 5,000 word essay on work
> > motivation,
> > > > > 95% of responses from those forced to comply for qualification
> > > > > purposes will be a regurgitation of textbooks on Maslow, Hertzberg,
> > > > > Lawler and other 'names' (all dross).  The odd student might start in
> > > > > such contradiction as that of the wealthy manager sated with money
> > and
> > > > > the poor farmer in India saddled with debt.
>
> > > > > The content of management textbooks has long been a scandal and the
> > > > > only change I've noticed since the 1950s is 'weight and gloss'.  They
> > > > > just weigh more these days, glossing over the same old trash  One can
> > > > > note the same in legislative documents.  Glass-Steagal was 30-odd
> > > > > pages, whereas the 'Facilitation of Bankster Fraud Acts' of modern
> > > > > times run to thousands.
>
> > > > > What strikes me as a scientist is that questions like what kind of a
> > > > > world do we want ourselves and others to live in, what is the work
> > > > > needed to do and maintain this and so on is all excluded.  If physics
> > > > > was like economics we'd only be able to describe earth, wind, fire
> > and
> > > > > water.  All that's come from science in this direction is unwarranted
> > > > > abstraction, usually of maths-based 'proof'.
>
> > > > > The farce of our system lies in allowing people to get rich and then
> > > > > control wealth and politics.  This is obvious.  We rightly worry that
> > > > > simply overturning this only produces another set of such 'worthies'
> > > > > likely to be worse.  We may even worry that the absence of such
> > > > > libidinal wealth opportunity takes away all motivation.  Whatever
> > this
> > > > > is about, it's not science.  Unlike science, which you won't be doing
> > > > > unless you can demonstrate some competence, general argument assumes
> > > > > you have some.  Hearing this, many fear the message is a call to be
> > > > > ruled by scientists.
>
> ...
>
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